Sands China Organises COVID-19 Seminar and Group Vaccination Sessions for Team Members

Part of company's efforts to boost the city's inoculation numbers in order to achieve herd immunity

(Macao, June 1, 2021) – Sands China Ltd. has been proactively working with the Health Bureau to encourage and facilitate its team members and their families to get vaccinated against COVID-19, doing its part to help Macao build an immune barrier, so that members of the public and people from all sectors of society can resume normal lives as soon as possible.

The company held a seminar entitled COVID-19 Vaccine: Path to End the Pandemic on May 27, and is offering group vaccination sessions May 31–June 3.

The May 27 seminar took place at The Venetian^® Macao, and was conducted by Dr. Tai Wai Hou, clinical director of the Public Conde S. Januário Hospital Centre. It allowed the over 320 participating team members to make informed decisions and helped allay any vaccination safety-related concerns.

Dr. Tai explained the differences between the two types of vaccines available in Macao – China's Sinopharm, which relies on an inactivated form of the virus to provide immunity, and Germany's BioNTech, which utilises mRNA as its method of inoculation. He talked about the vaccines' abilities to defend against coronavirus variants, how long the antibodies last, and who is able to receive the shots. He also gave an overview of Macao's COVID-19 prevention and control measures and shared his invaluable experience combating the pandemic.

Dr. Alvis Lo Iek Long, director of the Health Bureau, was present at one of the group vaccination sessions. He remarked: "On behalf of the Health Bureau, I extend my thanks to Sands China for its arrangements and to its team members for supporting this community-wide vaccination drive. COVID-19 vaccines help reduce the risk of infection, and in turn help protect yourself and those around you. I strongly encourage everyone to seize this opportunity to register for vaccinations as soon as possible, thus doing their part in protecting our community."

"The COVID-19 vaccine is the key to helping Macao achieve herd immunity as quickly as possible, and our thanks go to the Health Bureau for their collaboration on this seminar and vaccination drive," said Sands China Ltd. President Dr. Wilfred Wong. "Sands China encourages team members to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their families by helping Macao build an immune barrier together. We want people in Macao to be able to resume normal lives as soon as possible, and we hope this seminar and these onsite vaccination sessions help improve the vaccination rate. Sands China will continue to make every possible move to protect guests and team members from the coronavirus, such as via temperature screening at all entrances and by maintaining social distancing."

The group vaccination sessions are being held May 31-June 3 at The Venetian Macao's Cotai Expo, where an outreach vaccination station has been set up to administer vaccines to team members and their families; making it convenient to make time to receive the shots. The Sinopharm vaccine is available during the first three days and the BioNTech vaccine is available on the fourth. As of June 1, 2,300 team members and their families have registered for COVID-19 vaccinations at the station.

Photo caption: Sands China co-organises a seminar entitled COVID-19 Vaccine: Path to End the Pandemic with the Health Bureau May 27. The seminar – conducted by Dr. Tai Wai Hou, clinical director of the Public Conde S. Januário Hospital Centre – allowed the over 320 participating team members to make informed decisions and helped allay any vaccination safety-related concerns.

Photo caption: Dr. Alvis Lo Iek Long, director of the Health Bureau, visits an outreach vaccination station set up at The Venetian Macao's Cotai Expo June 1. He offers some words of encouragement to Sands China team members and their families who have registered for COVID-19 vaccinations.

Photo caption: Sands China team members receive the shots at an outreach vaccination station set up at The Venetian Macao's Cotai Expo.